Five schemes involving the illegal departure of men abroad have been uncovered in western Ukraine

Specialized defense prosecutors in the Western Region—in the Lviv, Volyn, and Zakarpattia Oblasts—have uncovered five schemes involving the illegal smuggling of men of draft age across Ukraine’s state border. 

The perpetrators offered to smuggle people past border checkpoints through mountainous and forested terrain, forge disability documents, and attempt to bribe officials, charging between 7,500 and 19,000 U.S. dollars for their services. 

Among the organizers and participants in the schemes were former and current military personnel, a border guard, international bus drivers, and civilians. All suspects have been placed in pretrial detention with the possibility of bail, and during searches of their premises, significant amounts of cash in foreign currency, vehicles, and forged seals were seized.

Source: Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Affairs of the Western Region.

Border guards from the Mukachevo Detachment stopped a Renault ambulance near the state border. The vehicle belongs to a charitable organization; the suspects were attempting to illegally transport two men and weapons to the border.

Earlier, a female officer of the General Staff was detained for accepting a bribe of 14,000 dollars.

In the Chernihiv region, a detained deserter attempted to offer a bribe of 40,000 hryvnias.

The SBU and the National Police uncovered 12 schemes to evade mobilization in eight regions.